ONE of the world's biggest hotel management groups is planning significant expansion of its business in Asia.
French company Accor, the world's largest hotel, catering, restaurant and tourism company, will extend its hotel network in Asia after dedicating two years to laying foundations in the Asia-Pacific region.
Simon Wan Che-hing, chief executive of Accor Asia Pacific's China, Hong Kong and the Philippines regional office, said the composition of its business in the region would change dramatically after planned developments in Asian countries were complete in the next three years.
The hotel management giant, which manages more than 2,200 hotels worldwide, set up its Asia-Pacific wing in 1993 to better use the resource and expertise in the region to develop the market.
Only 27 of the 73 hotels under the group's management in the region are in Asia, the rest being mainly in Australia and New Zealand.
Mr Wan said the composition of Accor's business activity would change significantly in 1998 because there would be 75 hotels in Asia under the group's management, and the number of hotels in Australia and New Zealand would rise to 57.
He said the rapid development of the company's Asian business was because of the good performance of Asian economies.